Helms arrives in a pinch after delayed flight

MIAMI GARDENS — Wes Helms began Sunday rushing to the airport at Birmingham, Ala., to try to get to South Florida in time for Sunday's 1:10 p.m. game against Pittsburgh.

A delay at Atlanta meant Helms, who was acquired in a trade with Philadelphia late Saturday night, did not get to the Dolphin Stadium until 3 p.m. A short time later Helms was making his first at-bat of the season.

"They told me to come in and be ready to pinch hit. It was an at-bat to get me loose," said Helms, who struck out in the seventh with two men on in the Marlins' 9-2 loss to Pittsburgh.

Helms and the Marlins are expecting better results in the games to come, as Helms rejoins the club that helped get him a multimillion-dollar salary with the Phillies.

Helms, 31, had one of the best years of his career in 2006 with the Marlins, when appeared in 140 games and hits .329 with 10 home runs and 47 RBI as pinch-hitting backup at third and first base.

That was enough to entice Philadelphia to sign him as a free agent to a two-year, $4.95 million contract, with the expectation he would become their regular third baseman.

But Helms struggled, hitting .246 with five home runs and 39 RBI in 112 games, and the Phillies had been shopping him around during the spring before designating him for reassignment on Wednesday.

"Last year I had an off year. I will be the first one to admit it," Helms said. "I feel good this year. I am healthy and ready to go, and this is a good spot for me."

Manager Fredi Gonzalez said Helms will resume the role he had in '06.

"He played first base defensively and hit against tough left-handers, and he can play third base and that is a big bat off the bench," Gonzalez said.

Marlins first baseman Mike Jacobs is glad to have Helms back.

"It's good for us. The more depth, the better," Jacobs said.

Amazing Amezaga

Center fielder Alfredo Amezaga made two wall-crashing catches on Sunday, the highlights of an otherwise dreary day for the Marlins.

The first came on a ball to dead center, when Amezaga crashed into the wall hard enough to open the door behind the padding.

That paled in comparison to the one that came in the seventh, when Pittsburgh had the bases loaded and two outs.

Pirates pinch hitter Freddy Sanchez drove into the triangle in left-center, the deepest part of the park.

Amezaga was able to catch up with the ball just as it, Amezaga and his glove all met the wall, and Amezaga was able to hang on for the third out.

"I am going to try and eat the wall. As soon as it is hit, I try and not look at it but find the spot where it is going," Amezaga said about his strategy. "I worry about the ball, not the wall."

Catching up

Gonzalez said catcher Mike Rabelo, who has been on the disabled list with a sprained left knee, could join the Marlins this week.

"Before we make a decision we'll probably going to catch him back-to-back to see how those legs react and then go from there," Gonzalez said.

Rabelo was the designated hitter for Class A Jupiter on Sunday, and could catch today and Tuesday.

"If everything goes well, it could be the middle of the week," Gonzalez said.

Cultural trip

The Marlins will get their first look at the Nationals new home tonight, then get Tuesday off before resuming the three-game series Wednesday.

"Maybe I'll take the boys to the Smithsonian to give the boys a little culture," Gonzalez said about how to spend the off day.

Gonzalez also noted that the Marlins will be staying in a hotel that has been in the news lately. The team will be at the Mayflower Hotel, where former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer met a prostitute, a liaison that forced Spitzer to resign this past month after it became public.